Dear First name / friend, 

Happy July!🎉

It is hard to believe that we are officially halfway through the year.  It seems like many of us are waking up to this and trying to make up for lost time because a lot has been happening.  My phone has been abuzz because the homegirl hotline has been working overtime. Among us, there have been job offers to consider, businesses to expand, and teams to build.

I am fortunate to have a dynamic community of women who genuinely celebrate, support, challenge, and, when necessary, correct one another. Whenever we spend time together, physically or virtually, there’s lots of laughter, occasional tears, and guaranteed real talk.  The insight and advice we offer make me think of the words of poet Gwendolyn Brooks who, among other accolades, was the first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize for literature. She wrote in her poem Paul Robeson, “We are each other's harvest; we are each other's business; we are each other's magnitude and bond.” 👭🏾

 As a coach, whenever people want to overcome an obstacle or tackle a new challenge, I ask about the quality of their community.  Why?  Because growing up, my mom used to say, "Birds of a feather flock together." And she's right; research shows that we are most like the five people we regularly spend time with.  Some studies even show that 95% of our outcomes in life are determined by the people we roll with regularly.
 

Gwendolyn Brooks by artist Joyce Owens

Now I'm not saying drop your day ones so that you can achieve someone else's standard of success, because the other thing my mama used to say was, "make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold."🏅

To be clear it's not about commodifying people or relationships, her point was that all of our relationships are valuable and should be treasured.  But sometimes, to move to the next level, we need to expand our understanding of what's possible and get the perspectives of other people.

So whatever your goal is for the remainder 2021, whether it’s financial, professional, familial, or fitness, make sure there people in your life who are about the same business. Because the only thing sweeter than success is a community you love to share it with. 💜

Until next week,

PS I'd love to know, how are you intentionally building community?  Please reply and share!

Was this email forwarded to you?  If you like what you read, subscribe here! You'll get your very own issue next Thursday.  In the meantime, use the links below to follow me on social media.